Wheatfield with Crows by Vincent van Gogh

It is clear to see, even to the untrained and perhaps uneducated eye, that the painting named Wheatfield with Crows is painted by Vincent Van Gogh. The style of painting is almost unmistakable and can only be attributed to him.

The painting is thought to have been completed around July 1890 and it is thought by many that this was actually the last piece of work Vincent Van Gogh ever painted in his life, before he died during the same month the painting came to light. This is contested by some who beleive some of his other late works were actually his last painting, the truth can only really be speculated. Wheatfield with Crows is available to see in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam on a large canvas around 50 x 100 in size. The type of paint used was oil paints, which is typical of many Van Gogh pieces.

The painting itself depicts a Wheatfield, as one might have guessed by the title, with a dark sky that gives the whole painting a sort of sinister look. The painting also contains several crows, which seem scattered and almost directionless in their flight, which asks the question of just what they are flying away from in such a disordered manner. The painting also seems to contain a central path through the wheat that almost stops and doesn't really lead to anything in particular, representing a similar confusion and element of directionless as the crows.

The road is also extremely long and coupled with the crows, it is said that the painting promotes isolation. The dark tones in the sky also help to contribute to the sombre mood created. Many believe the crows are an object that represents both death and rebirth, almost resurrection. The sky that has been constructed is typical of Van Gogh's style and similar skies are seen in his most famous painting, The Starry Night and also Wheatfield With Thunderclouds.

The painting is also renowned for its simplicity, when contrasted with many of Van Gogh's other works. There is a minimalistic approach taken towards choosing colours for the painting, as a result the painting becomes much more ordered and structured than many others, with distinct boundaries between the different elements of the sky, wheatfield and path down the middle.